Francis productive with more room to move

December 04, 2005|TOM NOIE Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Cutting across a Joyce Center parking lot hours before Saturday's showdown with Michigan, Notre Dame senior power forward Torin Francis passed the time on his cell phone. Following 37 minutes of work against the Wolverines, Francis proved he could do more than talk a good game. In the days leading into the contest, Francis insisted that he needed more touches down low for the Irish to have success. Though Notre Dame came out on the disappointing end of a 71-67 decision, Francis again had done his part, going for a season-high 22 points and grabbing a team-high 13 rebounds. Francis was a stronger voice in practice all week, insisting that if his teammates could find a way to get him the ball, he could make something positive happen. "They know me being a senior and a captain and one of the leaders on this team, I'll do whatever it takes," he said. "I'll make the right decision with the ball, whether it's going up strong or kicking it back to the guards." Francis, as was the case the previous time out, started strong. He touched the ball on five of the first six Irish offensive possessions and six of nine. By halftime, he had 13 points and seven rebounds. "Torin's been good, man," said Irish coach Mike Brey. "He's been playing like a senior big guy should." Francis was a main reason the Irish finished with 30 points in the paint and out-rebounded Michigan, 37-35. "We held our own," he said. "I don't think they out-powered us on the front line." Notre Dame worked much of the week in practice on improving its offensive spacing, which was too bunched up in the previous loss to North Carolina State. With the floor opened more Saturday, Francis was afforded more room to work down low. "Torin had the day he had because there was better spacing off him," Brey said. With two double-doubles this season and 25 for his career, Francis now is 15 points away from becoming the 45th player in Notre Dame history to score at least 1,000 in his career. Road warriors Trailing by five points with three minutes remaining Saturday was supposed to mark the beginning of the end for a Michigan team that has been a downright disaster away from home. The Wolverines had gone 4-15 away from Ann Arbor the last two years, including only one win against a team with a winning record. Coach Tommy Amaker's club had endured 10 double-digit road losses, including four of at least 25 points. But with the game there for the taking, the Wolverines buckled down and made the plays it needed to move to 5-0 for the first time since 1999-2000. "We've been in almost every situation imaginable," said senior guard Daniel Horton. "We knew we had to stay calm and keep running our stuff and we were able to get back in the game." Horton's running mate, Dion Harris, believes the Wolverines took another step toward getting back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998 by winning a game in a tough road environment. "It's a sign of us growing up," said Harris, who hit the game's biggest basket to break a 67-all tie. "We finally played a great game for 40 minutes." Second-half snooze Notre Dame led by five points late in the first half before seven points in 72 seconds saw Michigan grab a two-point lead. Notre Dame tied the game at 27 on two Kyle McAlarney free throws heading into the locker room, then fell behind by seven in less than four minutes. "They came out a lot harder than we did," Irish guard Russell Carter said. "I guess they caught us off-guard. It was a wake-up call." See you later Saturday's game marked the end of a brief two-year series between the schools. There are no plans, at least now, to continue the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry in the coming seasons. "I think we'll take some time off from it," Brey said. "Down the road, we'd piece this thing together." There also are no plans, at least at this point, to add another Big Ten team to next season's Notre Dame schedule. Baseline bits

Irish guard Colin Falls went scoreless for the first time in a game since last season's win at Indiana. He finished 0-for-3 from 3 and is 1-of-11 from behind the arc over the last two games.